Public Art in The Shoals

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THE SHOALS

Sheffield is home to the first in a series of Singing River Sculptures, honoring both the area’s musical heritage and the region’s aluminum industry. The sculpture in Sheffield is 18 feet tall and depicts a 1950s-era rock ‘n’ roller that vaguely resembles Elvis. The sculpture in Muscle Shoals is 25 feet tall and depicts a bass player on a stool complete with aviators and a killer mutton chops/mustache combo. The Shoals area is known for music, but its history runs deeper than you might realize. On the inscription in front of the Sheffield sculpture, you can read about the early inhabitants of the area, the Yuchi, who told the legend of a Spirit Woman who lived in the Tennessee River. She protected them and sang to them softly on peaceful days or loudly and angrily on days the river ran fast. This is how the river got the name “The Singing River.” Today, the Shoals area is known for more recent music history. World-famous artists have recorded here in the “Hit Recording Capital of the World.” When you visit these works of art, be sure to also tour the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield and visit the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia